Secrets of the Hyper Emerald
by Death-by-Yaoi
Summary: Sonic and his friends think that they can finally have a peaceful life. Sadly, Eggman is up to no good, hiring 3 new advisories to stop Sonic in his tracks! The gang soon learns about the fabled Hyper Emerald that is said to bring Eternal Peace..Or Death.
1. Ch 1: The New Found Enemies

_**DISCLAIMER**_: I don't own Sonic, Sonic X, or ANYTHING that has to do with Sonic, except for the characters Raven and I made.

Raven - Angel, Zurai, Tsukiko (Tsuki)  
Zac (Me) - Sypher, Koten, Epsilon, Missles

This is my first fanfiction in a LONG time. I have been working hard on my first novel, so I haven't had much time for fanfics. Plus, I still need complete some others that are unfinished. . So, now that we are all done here (and btw, I am only posting this disclaimer on Chapter 1 ), I hope you enjoy the story. D

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Chapter 1: The New-Found Enemies

Sonic always did despise the ocean. And who could blame him? He couldn't swim, no matter how many times he saw others try it. He always either stayed home or went to a different location on the OTHER side of the continent. But not this time. Amy wouldn't allow it.  
"No way! Not this time, Sonikku! Your coming whether you like it or not. GOT IT?!" Now, usually, he would run. If Amy hadn't already pinned him and threatened to squash him under her Piko Hammer. He sighed. At least Shadow had to go too.  
"And why, might I ask, am I going on this pointless exploration?" Shadow muttered without any sign of emotion  
"Because I HAVE to go. Which means you HAVE to go." Sonic retorted.  
"...Again, why?"  
"Shadow, please just go. We can be in fear together!" Sonic pleaded. For a mere moment, you could have sworn Shadow blushed slightly, but it would soon be replaced by a skeptical glare.  
"...Fine." He spat out coldly. Shadow hated the water as much as Sonic. But he didn't have to let that on, so that way, he could pretend Sonic was more afraid than he was, thus giving him rights to laugh in his blue rivals face.

The beach wasn't that far from Sonic's house, unfortunately for him. All of Sonic's friends lived in that house, as if they were family. Only Knuckles lived alone, guarding the Master Emerald on Angel Island. A perfect excuse to not go to some beach, he believed. When they arrived at "The Torture Chamber", as Sonic put it, Everyone instantly got in the water, save Sonic, Shadow, and Tails.  
"Why don't you get in, buddy?" Sonic questioned his foxy friend.  
"Eh. Water is cool, but I brought a project I have been working on, and it can't get wet." Tails replied intellectually.  
"So...What your saying is that your a nerd?" Shadow snickered.  
"Funny. And that is why when I even pull out a small squirt gun, you quiver like a sad little puppy." Tails whispered.  
"What was that, Tails?"  
"Oh..Nothing." He faked a smile.  
"Well," Sonic started, "since Amy is distracted, I think I'll--" he was cut off by his black hedgehog rival.  
"Oh, no you don't. 'I HAVE to be here, so you HAVE to be here', remember?" He smiled evilly.  
"Well...That...I mean..." He tried so hard to think of something, but alas, nothing. He was doomed. Doom to eternal suffering on this godforsaken spit of land. He silently sulked.

Meanwhile, on a not-to-far away tower, evil was at work. As always, Eggman was at the center of the trouble.  
"So you understand, right? I want that blue hedgehog demolished. Got it?" Eggman said with a cynical sneer.  
"But of course. But first, our fee. After we bring him to you, we want one of your Chaos Emeralds." said a shadow figure.  
"One?! This job defiantly should be worth at least three! This is Sonic the Hedgehog we are dealing with, you know." Said another shadowy figure, waving her tail, anxiously.  
"One will suffice...for now. Do what Sypher says, Tsukiko.." Said the last figure, softly.  
"Hmpf..Your lucky I let you call me Tsukiko, Angel. I might have cut your throat otherwise." Tsuki said violently.  
"Enough," stated Sypher, "Do we have a deal, Eggman?"  
"Certainly." He replied, shaking Sypher's hand to seal the deal. "You guys better live up to your reputation though." Sypher gave a small smirk, as Tsuki laughed and Angel quietly approved.  
"Oh, you just wait and see, Mr. Robotnik. We never miss our marks." Sypher spoke sadistically.

Sonic quivered under a blanket.  
"Damn it, Shadow! Stop squirting me!" He whined.  
"Not a chance, 'Friend'." He chuckled, shooting at him again with a small water gun. Tails would have said something, be he didn't have to. By the time he thought about it, Amy had already started yelling.  
"Leave Sonikku alone, Shadow!" She squealed.  
"I don't know what to be more appalled by: The fact that such a frail girl can lift such a hammer, or the fact that your screams break the sound barrier." Shadow grunted.  
"That's it, Shadow!" She said, raising the hammer.  
"Let it go, Amy. He was just fooling around." Sonic said with a fake smile and a small chuckle.  
"Ok, my Sonikku!" She squealed again, hugging him so tight that he feared this over the hammer.  
"_Why? Why me?! Why do have to have sadistic rivals and psycho fan girls? Ugh.._" he thought silently. As all this commotion went on, they were being watched in secret. Eyes peered down at them like hawks, observing Sonic and each of his friends.  
"I sense a strong force in that black hedgehog.." Angel whispered.  
"As do I. We must approach him with caution if we have to face him." Sypher agreed.  
"Well, I say we go down there now and wring his little neck." retorted Tsuki. "I could do it by myself."  
"Tsukiko, calm yourself. We need to approached this in a sophisticated way." Sypher scolded.  
"Tch...Whatever. You have your way. But when night falls, it's my jurisdiction."  
"Ok then. But be warned. He is not the main target. Do not engage him unless--"  
"--engaged first." finished Tsuki. "I already know that, Sypher." Angel just watched the two silently, while still studying her prime target.

"Common, Sonniku!" Amy cooned. For once, Sonic stood there, staring out into the ocean without being afraid. It was actually quite beautiful to him, as long as he wasn't in it, that is. Tails saw Sonic wanted to take that in, so he ushered Amy off back to the house. Shadow remained there, watching the sea as well.  
"So, your actually able to look at water? I'm surprised." Shadow chuckled  
"Can it, Shadow." Sonic steamed, glaring daggers at him.  
"Hm...So...When do you want to head back?"  
"I don't know. Do we have some sort of time limit?" Shadow looked away for a moment, then returned a glance.  
"I guess not." But when Shadow looked back at Sonic, his eyes were wide. "...What?"  
Sonic barely got out the words, "S-shadow...Do waves get THAT big..?" Shadow instantly turned back to the sea, which was about to pummel them with a giant wave. Shadow moved fast, grabbing the stunned Sonic and moving towards the main land. The wave barely missed them.  
"..Thanks." Sonic said breathlessly.  
"Che...Pathetic." Shadow sneered. Sonic didn't have time to retort back, for he was too busy staring at the three figures before him.

Sypher smirked. "So the rumors are true? Sonic is afraid of water?"  
"I suppose so..." Angel stated blankly.  
"What a pansy." Tsuki laughed.  
"And just who are you clowns?" Shadow said in all serious-ness.  
"I am known as Sypher. The hedgehog is Angel and our wolf companion is Tsuki, but do you really need to know that? After all, we are only after Sonic." Sypher grinned coolly. Sonic was now studying his opponents. Sypher was a purple fox with golden eyes, similar to Tails, but with only one tail and was a teenager at the least. He wore a grey headband and scarf, has an armband on his right arm, and black and red boots. He seemed like the leader of the group. Angel was a red hedgehog with blue eyes, but nothing like Amy. She has longer quills and a quiet personality. She wore two dark red and black armbands and a dark red top. She wore black pants and red running shoes. Tsuki was a blue wolf with pupiless lavender eyes. At first, he thought she was a man, but noticed by her voice it was a women. She wore a black tench coat and a grey tank top. He pants were dark blue with light blue strips through them and had green running shoes. Sypher pulled out a stop watch. "Angel, you have twenty minutes. Think you can handle it?"  
"Affirmative." She said, a violent gleam in her eyes.  
"Whether your after Sonic or not, I will take you out with a single move." Shadow bluffed.  
Tsuki grin a wicked smile. "So Sypher, does this mean he 'approached' me first?"  
"I would assume so, since he stated he's getting involved." Sypher responded. Tsuki let out a blood-curling howl.  
"Perfect."


	2. Ch 2: Against the Odds

Chapter 2: Against the Odds

Sonic stood on the beach, facing his new adversaries, yet he was smiling.  
"Heh, thing are finally getting interesting!" He laughed out.  
"Well, we shall see how 'interesting' things are, when we bring you back to our employer unconscious." Sypher sneered.  
"I see. And just who is your employer?" Shadow questioned demandingly.  
"We'll tell you if you BEAT us!" Tsuki growled, charging Shadow. Shadow smirked. She obviously didn't know what she was messing with. She tightened her hand into a fist and punched Shadow square in the face. Dead on. Too bad for Tsuki that it had no effect. He just smirked.  
"If that is the best you can do, your in trouble." He said, and disappeared.  
"W-what?!" she said puzzled. "Where did he go?!"  
"Over here." Shadow whispered behind her, his trademark gun pointing at her head. "Game over." Tsuki stood there, but not like you imagined a person with a gun to their head to act. She was smirking.  
"Oh your good. Chaos Control, I presume?" She cooned.  
"You got that right, you pathetic--" He stopped. She was gone. "What the--" was all he had time to say before he went flying into the sea. Tsuki laughed, where Shadow's back once was.

"Shadow!" Sonic yelled out.  
"You better worry about yourself, hedgehog." Sypher called out. Angel had wings out, and was flying at him with rapid speed.  
"Think your faster than me?" Sonic asked, a grin smeared on his face.  
"No...But I have an aerial advantage..." She said unemotionally, flying higher. Sonic stopped. He pondered what she could be planning. Angel finally stopped gaining altitude. Her wings began to glow.  
"Now, we shall begin..and I shall show you the true meaning of the word speed." She said in a voice Sonic could barely hear.  
"Heh, bring it!" Sonic challenged. Angel's wings started to glow at their brightest. She got in a battle stance.  
"Crimson Feathers!" she yelled, with actual emotion in her voice, and millions of glowing red feathers rushed at Sonic at speeds to match his own.

Shadow stumbled to his feet. "Ow..." was all he could get out. "_How did she get behind me?!_" was the only thought crossing his mind.  
"I'm not as slow as you think I am. And that wasn't even my hardest hit yet. Not even close." she explained, giving herself a moment to smirk.  
"Can you also use Chaos Control?" Shadow questioned.  
"Now, why would I tell you that? Your awful pushy for someone who is being thrown around like a rag doll. Shadow scowled. "_Just keep her talking..._" was the thought rushing in his head, "_until.._"  
"So, why exactly are you guys after Sonic? He is no match for someone like me." He bluffed. After their last sparring match, they were just about equal.  
"Again, why does someone who will be in the ground soon need to know?" Tsuki growled testily. "I am done with your babble. Time to end this." She said, closing her eyes. 'NOW!' Shadow conscious was screaming. He disappeared and got behind her.  
"Don't close your eyes while fighting me!" He assaulted. "CHAOS BLAST!" and a red light surrounded the beach.

Sonic was barely dodging the fiery feathers as it was, and now, a giant red light was coming towards him. "Damnit, Shadow!" He yelled, trying to move away. The feathers wouldn't allow it.  
"Try as you might. Either way, your getting hit with some immense power." Angel said, flying above. Sonic began thinking. "_If I'm going to be hit anyway, I'd rather take my chances with the feathers...Shit.._" He rushed in the storm of feathers. They burned intensively on his skin and fur. He held on to his screams and continued to run into the fray of fire, barely escaping Shadow's attack.  
"...He actually went through my attack. Impressive." Angel smirked, a tinge of interest in her voice. Sypher stood and watched Sonic collapse after a few seconds. "Hmpf..Will I even have to fight?" He sounded almost disappointed. Shadow lay on the sandy ground, Tsuki standing on top of him.  
"Awe..." She sighed, "He was almost a worthy challenge.." she picked him. "Sad, really." and she tossed him into the sea. Something caught her eyes as she threw him. A red blur flying past her and catching Shadow. She was stunned at first. "Angel?!" but then she took a closer look.  
"Man, these guys did a number on you guys." the red figure spoke.  
"And just who are you?" Sypher said, full attention on the Echidna in front of him.

Knuckles was minding his own business, guarding the Master Emerald, as usual, until he saw a bright light in the far off sky, towards the beach. "What the heck..?" he said, leaving his post. "_I won't be gone long._" he said in his head to the Master Emerald. When he was in distance to see the cause of the light, three figures he didn't recognize and Sonic on the ground was not a good sign. Not to mention one of the figures stood on Shadow and began to throw him. He flew past her to catch Shadow. She said something, but he couldn't hear her.  
"And just who are you?" spoke the purple fox of the group.  
"Knuckles the Echidna. And you are?" he said sort of sarcastically. Obviously, the fox didn't understand.  
"I am Sypher the Fox, and we are here to capture Sonic." he said seriously.  
"Oh really? Well, I don't think I'll allow that."  
"And how, might I ask, will you stop us?"  
"Like so." And Knuckles charges at him. Sypher waves to the others.

"This one is mine, you two." and he charges towards Knuckles. Now, judging from initial appearance, Knuckles was going to clobber the poor fox. Judging my appearance of course. Knuckles lashed out a fist, but the quick fox dodged it easily. He held out his hand and his gloves stared to glow. A ball of light then came out and formed into a bow staff. Knuckles look puzzled.  
"What, are you a magician?" he scoffed.  
"A magician that's going to kick your ass." Sypher retorted. Knuckles slammed into the bow staff, but it had no effect. Sypher grinned. "You think you can break through this staff that easily?" He said with the up most confidence.  
"We'll find out." Knuckles smirked, pushing harder on the staff.  
"No we won't. I have you in range."  
"What are you talking about?"  
"You'll see..." Sypher closed his eyes. Knuckles seemed perplexed, pushing on the staff even harder. Suddenly he stopped. Sypher was staring straight into his eyes. They seemed mesmerizing. He could barely hear Sypher's last words to his comrades.  
"Take Sonic back to our employer. I'm going to do some infiltrating."


	3. Ch 3: The Analysis Begins

Chapter 3: The Analysis Begins

Knuckles woke up in a daze. His head was throbbing and he felt as if he had a hangover. He groggily tried to get up, but it was no use. His legs felt like noodles.  
"So, your finally awake, eh, Kunx?" said a devious voice. Knuckles didn't even have to see the person to know who it was.  
"Rouge, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be back at your club?"  
"Now, is that any way to thank your rescuer?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"I decided to take a walk on the beach, and there I find you, just lying there unconscious. I wanted to ask what happened."  
"That's right! Where's Sypher?!" Knuckles jolted up. Sypher. Just his name brought back his lightheaded-ness.  
"Who's that? All that was there was you." Rouge's reply surprised Knuckles.  
"You didn't see any purple foxes? Or hedgehogs with wings? Or that damned wolf." Knuckles dragged on.  
"Hey, Knux...Drugs are bad." Rouge said with a voice almost caring, if it wasn't layered with sarcasm.  
"Geez, thanks Rouge. But seriously, have you seen Sonic?" He knew the answer, but he hoped.  
"No. It's weird, it's like he disappeared." He knew it. Those guys kidnapped him. And he was powerless to stop them. That didn't sit well with Knuckles.  
"I'm going...Thanks Rouge." and he dashed off.  
"Knux?! What was that about?" she said as she stared off in his direction.

Sonic lay on his back, unconscious, while Angel ran a medial check-up on him. Tsuki lounged in a luxurious chair.  
"Why did we bring Sonic back to our base? Sypher told us to head directly to Eggman." Tsuki sounded annoyed. Patience wasn't her strong suit.  
"Eggman also said he didn't want Sonic in bad shape, Tsukiko. I am healing any major wounds." She said softly.  
"You know, I wonder why I don't get mad at you guys when you say my full name. Anyone else says it, and I just wanna snap." She grunted testily.  
"Probably because we have been together for a long time...Ever since that event 5 years ago..."  
"Don't bring that up again, Angel...I hated that place.." Tsuki said, clutching a spot on her chest.  
"You are still bothered by it?"  
"Of course I am. It makes me feel like I am still part of that horrible orphanage." Angel touched her forearm, where a mysterious symbol laid under her hand.  
"It's the mark we got when we went into the orphanarium."  
"I know that. And it burns as when I first got it." Tsuki paused for a moment, then started again, back to herself. "Are you done yet?"  
"Almost. He suffered major burns on his back from my Crimson Feathers.." Angel sighed, almost sounding guilty.  
"Were you really trying?"  
"No. I could have disintegrated him, probably.." They both sighed. "There, he is ready to go."  
"Then let's hurry up. I got a bad feeling something is going to get in our way."

So, where did Shadow go after all of this? After all, he was last scene being caught by Knuckles. Well, in Knuckles's rage, he dropped Shadow to face Sypher, leaving the hedgehog to sink into the deep blue. Luckily for him, a certain team of detectives were on a undersea mission.  
"So, what are we lookin' for again?" Vector said impatiently. He never could stay calm for long.  
"We are looking for a lost diamond in the shape of a half moon that our client dropped around here." Espio informed.  
"Diamonds! Diamonds!" Charmy sang out.  
"Charmy, Shut up!" Vector yelled. How the hell were they supposed to find a diamond the size of a pebble in the OCEAN? He strained his eyes enough already. Not to mention the stress of how much it cost to rent a stupud Subpod to go into the deep. In the middle of his thoughts, a red proxiemity alert went off. "What is that?!" He choked out, startled.  
"We are picking up an unknown lifeform heading towards the bottom of the seafloor. It's energy is jamming our radar." Espio said, heading towards it.  
"Why are we heading towards it?" Vector questioned, his pateince thinning even more.  
"It's been identified...It's Shadow.." Espio added grimly.

Knuckles rushed to Sonic's house. Maybe the others saw something. A clever thought, for Knuckles anyway. He burst through the double doors.  
"Where's Sonic?!" He screamed.  
"Pipe down, Knuckles. I'm already tracing him." Tails scowled, annoyance flashed across his face. He had been up all night, so it was to be expected. Knuckles noticed a pink blob on the couch spraying water everywhere. He then soon realized it was Amy, and Cream beside her.  
"Don't worry, Amy. Sonic will be back, just like always." Cream said softly, sounding as if she questioned her own statement.  
"But he said he'd come back!" Amy sobbed. Cream would never get through to her. Knuckles went to Tails.  
"So, do you know where he is?" He questioned.  
"Yeah, but it's an area I'm not familiar with, so proceed with caution. Take this mini monitor with you. It will pin point his location and will let you keep in contact with me."  
"Gotcha...Wait! Aren't you coming?"  
"I will get there when I finished this project I'm working on."  
"Isn't Sonic more important than your experiments?"  
"It has to do with getting Sonic back, so let me concentrate."  
"Ok, ok. Sheesh." Tails would have commented that 'Sheesh' wasn't technically a word suitable for conversation, but it _was _Knuckles, so he left it alone. Amy jumped up from her sobs.  
"I wanna go too!" she squealed.  
"No Amy. You'd--" Knuckles started, but was cut off by one Miles Tails Prowler.  
"Good idea, Amy." he chuckled. Knuckles would have to remember this for a later scolding, but time was of the essence. Even he understood that. Now, if only his head would stop pounding...

The mini sub, rented by Team Chaotix, finally found it's way to the bottom of the floor. They used the ship's grabbing arms to lift Shadow and take him to the surface. When they got there, they put him in the sub. Espio checked vitals. He was alive, but not really breathing.  
"He's alive, but may have swallowed too much water." Espio stated, a tinge of worry in his voice.  
"You mean..." Vector began, but Charmy finished.  
"CPR! CPR!" Chamry sang.  
"I am the only who knows CPR, so I guess..." Espio grumbled, leaning him back. Vector couldn't watch, and he covered Charmy's eyes. Espio drew closer, about to breathe life into Shadow. The kiss of life. He gulped. So much for his dignity. As soon as his mouth grazed Shadow's lips, he felt himself being pushed back.  
"I don't think so." came a voice. Vector opened his eyes and his eyes widened.  
"Shadow?!" he gasped. Espio recovered from his face plant.  
"It's not like I wanted to," Espio began, "but your life was in danger."  
"Lucky for me, water is easily filtered out. I spared me of your little yaoi moment." Espio blushed a bit, but not in the loving way. He was embarrassed, and he sighed as his team mates laughed their heads off.  
"ENOUGH!" He finally exploded.  
"Heh heh...right. Well, how did you get down here in the first place?" Vector said, regaining a serious tone. And so, Shadow explained how the fight between Sypher and his gang, V.S Sonic and himself went. Well, all he knew anyway. Luckily, he didn't recollect the fact Knuckles had dropped him into the ocean in the first place.  
"So, this Sypher guy is after Sonic. God, of all the things that guy gets into, this takes the cake. I mean, a kidnapping? Please." Vector said, rolling his eyes.  
"I need to go find Sonic. He isn't there anymore. I'm going to check the house." He said, climbing out of the sub and rushing towards his home. Sonic's home. Their home...He remembered when Sonic first asked him to live there with him and his other friends. Shadow declined at first, but eventually gave in. Who can resist that damn cunning smile.

Eggman sat impatiently in his hover chair. He knew it had only been a day since they were set out to capture his blue nemesis, but the way they gloated, he thought they would have been back within the hour.  
"Damn. Where could they be? Having a coffee?" He grunted. "Next time, maybe I should hire a whole squad of assassins.  
"There will be no need for that.." came a calming voice. Angel flew in, holding Sonic in her hands. Tsuki trailed after.  
"Damn, i wish I had wings. Lucky little--" she was cut off by her employer.  
"What took you guys so long? And where is your leader, Geyser?" Eggman questioned.  
"His name is Sypher...and he is doing a little extra recon work for you. He is gathering information on Sonic's friends so you will have the advantage.." Angel informed Eggman.  
"Hehehe...I knew I invested in a gold mine with you guys." he lied, since he was doubting himself just minutes before they walked in. Tsuki even heard him, but decided not to comment. She wanted that Chaos Emerald, so she acted professional in front of the client.  
"Sypher should be here soon." Angel quietly spoke. Just then, the doors slid open, and there walked in Knuckles.  
"Knuckles?! How did he get in here without my pass codes." Eggman was astonished. I mean, he wouldn't have reacted as bad if his rival in IQs, Tails, had broken in, but _KNUCKLES_?! There was no way. Something was aloof.  
"What took you so long?!" Tsuki yelled at the Echidna.  
"Sypher...Don't scare our employer like that.." Angel softly said. Eggman was confused. Sypher? Clearly, Knuckles the Echidna stood before them, not a purple fox.  
"Sorry. I just had to...improvise." said Sypher in Knuckles voice. Knuckles glowed, and a figured stepped out of him. It was Sypher, and the Echidna sank to the floor.

Shadow hurried to the house. He really hoped Sonic beat the three that attacked them. He approached the house, and already had a sense of doubt. Regardless, he opened the double doors. The house was in dismay. Things knocked over, the couch flipped over, not to mention his friends unconscious.  
"Damn it!" He swore. He was too late.  
"S-shadow...Is that you?" spoke a voice. Shadow quickly turned. Tails was propped up by a wall, and his injuries were bad.


	4. Ch 4: Chaotix Strikes

Chapter 4: Chaotix Strikes

Shadow was able to treat some of Tail's injuries, but some were too deep. He looked as if he was thrashed around by a crowd of yaoi fan girls. When Shadow was done treating what wounds he could, he picked up Tails a placed him on the couch.  
"Who did this..?" Shadow asked softly.  
"It was...Knuckles.." Tails could barely get those words out before he fainted. Shadow was shocked. Knuckles? No way. Knuckles was an idiot, but he would never attack Tails. No, this was the work of some devious plot, and Shadow was going to find out. He sped out of the house and ran off into the distance, beginning again to look for the lost Sonic.

Tsuki hated technology. She never could wrap her mind around how a light bulb worked, much less an Chaos Energy Scanner. I mean, how did all these damned gadgets work? She'd never get it. Nonetheless, it did not stop her from asking questions.  
"How does this machine work?" She said puzzled.  
"Ugh..." Eggman groaned. He had explained this to her 5 times already. But, he needed to keep them happy, so he went through it again.  
"I see...and how does that make it work." Eggman was running out of patience. Luckily, Sypher chimed in.  
"Tsukiko...Leave the good doctor to his work. We must finish our orders." He informed his eager companion.  
"That is right...We still have to make sure no one gets near here.." Angel finished up.  
"...Ok then. Geez, gang up on me, why don't you?" Tsuki grunted. They got up and walked out the automated door. Eggman let out a small, wicked chuckled.  
"Heh...Those fools don't even realize that once I finish this machine, I shall need all the Chaos Emeralds, therefore making them...expendable." He laughed his diabolical laugh and kept working on this new horror. Outside the building, Tsuki smoked a cigarette.  
"Can we seriously trust this guy?" She inquired.  
"No...After we get the Chaos Emerald, we will have to mind wipe the 'good doctor'." Sypher spat out. He had called him that twice now. It was enough to make anyone sick.  
"When would be the best time for we to start it though? Would it be wise to do it right after we get the emerald?" Angel questioned. She had the ability to wipe anyone's memory from the past week. It comes in handy when making any sort of deal.  
"Yes. Otherwise, he will be a threat."  
"Wait a minute. Why don't we just mind wipe him now, and take the stupid emerald, along with his other ones?" Tsuki asked, knowing the answer.  
"We are not criminals. We are bounty hunters. We do our fair share of work, and get paid for our services. I don't even like the fact that we are going to mind wipe him, but we have no choice. He is a potential danger to any allies he gets. Now then, I must go check on something." Sypher explained.  
"Right..." Tsuki took another draw from her cigarette before tossing it into the ocean around them. It was a simple structure to guard. A isolated island, one door and no windows. You would have to be crazy enough to try and smash your way in. Well, unless you were Tsuki, in her opinion.

Knuckles woke up. His head throbbed. He had no idea where he was, except that he was chained to a wall. He remember talking to Tails, and then suddenly collapsing. He looked around the room. There wasn't a door or windows. He was afraid he lost his mind, but it was real. How could there not be any sort of way out? He then noticed a certain blue hedgehog chained to the wall opposite of him.  
"S-sonic?!" Knuckles yelled out. Sonic stirred, and finally woke up.  
"Huh...W-where am I?" He sounded groggy.  
"I think we've been captured by Eggman...Somehow.."  
"I kinda figured that...Wait! I was beat by that Sypher guy!"  
"Me too...He used some kind of weird technique that put me to sleep, and got away with you. I went to your house and talked to Tails, but then I blacked out and winded up here."  
"Strange...I wonder why--" He was cut off by a purple figure suddenly appearing in the room.  
"Good day, gentlemen." It was Sypher, and he was smiling casually.  
"Sypher!" They both yelled.  
"Yes, well, I came to check your conditions. It seems your both well"  
"Well, my ass! We are chained up in a room with no exit!" Knuckles was steaming.  
"Wait...I get it. This room can only be accessed by using Chaos Control." Sonic guessed.  
"Sure. That would be one way, but if you used it wrong, you'd be one with the wall. No, I am the only one that can access this room." Sypher laughed out.  
"How..?" Sonic asked out of curiosity.  
"I don't feel the need to tell you that. Now, don't move." Sypher grunted, moving towards Sonic. He held out his hand and placed it on Sonic's chest.  
"W-what are you doing?!" He tried to move, but it was hopeless.  
"Please don't try that again. I'd be wasting energy holding you still. I am checking your current body status. Wouldn't want you too injured, now would I?" Sypher smirked.  
"What are you planning?!" Knuckles lashed out.  
"I am just doing my job. I have no personal qualm with either of you. So, even if we are enemies now, I want you to be alright." Sypher said quietly. Be alright? Sonic was confused. Here this guy was, making sure he was ok, yet he was the one who aided in hurting him in the first place. Sonic actually had time to look at his captor. He looked no older than fifteen. His age. He looked at his golden eyes, and could almost sense that he didn't want to do any of this. But that didn't last long, as Sypher looked straight at him.  
"What?" He questioned, annoyed.  
"Nothing." Sonic replied. There had to be a way out of this. There usually was. Usually.

Team Chaotix were in good spirits. They had found the seemingly impossible-to-find necklace. They went back to their office and celebrated.  
"That was hard!" Charmy complained.  
"Yes...It blended almost perfectly with the rock it was on.." Espio added.  
"Yeah, but I spotted it with my perfect vision!" Vector announced proudly. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.  
"Come in, customer." Vector said in his business tone. He took a second glance when he noticed it was Shadow. "Shadow? What brings you here?"  
"I need your help to find Sonic." He said, straight to the point.  
"No way. That guys is always getting himself in to trouble."  
"I'm willing to pay for services rendered of course." Shadow held out a wad of money. Vector instantly changed stories.  
"But of course we'll help. I'd never abandon Sonic!" He tried to cover up.  
"Whatever. I have a pretty good suspicion of where they are."  
"Then why do you need us?" Espio questioned.  
"Because, yaoi boy, I need you guys to distract any guards while I investigate." Shadow said irritated. Espio started to yell at Shadow for the nickname, but Vector cut him off.  
"Aren't we the detectives? Shouldn't we investigate, while you hold them off?"  
"I can cover more ground than you guys. Besides, I know the layout of most of Eggman's bases." He realized he let slip the place of suspicion. Now it was going to be difficult.  
"Eggman?! We don't like dealing with affairs with that two-bit weirdo." Vector said clearly.  
"Look, I need help. I have money. Are you going to help or not?" Vector took it into serious thought.  
"What do you guys think?" Vector asked his team mates.  
"I don't mind. We could use a workout." Espio said calmly.  
"Yeah yeah! Adventure!" Charmy sang out.  
"Ok then it's settled. Let's get going." Vector said, hoping he wouldn't be regretting this decision.

Sonic felt violated. He was being 'checked out' by his attacker. I mean, not that Sonic was embarrassed. He didn't mind of anyone looked at him. It was when it lasted over twenty minutes.  
"Um..If I might interrupt...When will this be done?" Sonic questioned uneasily.  
"Almost. I am now checking for any brain damage." Sonic almost called it an excuse to touch him, but he didn't know how Sypher thought, so he didn't assume.  
"So, what are you gaining from all of this? You can be just doing charity."  
"We are receiving a Chaos Emerald."  
"Heh...Fat chance. Eggman giving up a Chaos Emerald is like him saying, 'Sonic, let's be best friends'."  
"I know that...And we are well prepared if he tries to pull anything on us."  
"Eggman is pretty crafty. Be careful." Sypher faltered for a second. He was telling him to be careful. Since when did he care? I mean, he was the reason he was here. He decided to ask.  
"Why do you care what happens to me?"  
"Because I can tell that your not really this way." Sypher was confused. He let go of Sonic.  
"You're all ok...I already checked Knuckles earlier."  
"Seriously, be on the lookout for--"  
"I'll be ok!" Sypher turned. He would have to ponder about this for awhile. What was this feeling rising up in him? It was then that Sonic noticed a weird black marking, almost in the shape of a lightning bolt, on Sypher's back. Sypher then disappeared, and Sonic could have swore he saw the fox tearing up.

Angel was getting annoyed with Tsuki's habitual smoking. She did it EVERYWHERE. It doesn't look good to the clients when one of the team is polluting the air.  
"Tsukiko...Please put that out." Angel said as nice a possible. Nice. It didn't suit her well.  
"Why should I? This is boring and we are outside anyway." She protested.  
"But I am right here.."  
"Deal with it." Angel silently fumed. Tsuki was so stubborn.  
"Please, Tsuki." She tired playing her trump card.  
"...Fine." Tsuki mumbled, tossing it in the ocean. She then noticed something on the horizon. A ship. She smirked as it headed their way. "Maybe it's Sonic's friends." Angel stood up.  
"I guess they really care for their friend." Angel spoke silently.  
"Touching. Won't stop me from pounding their faces in." Almost on cue, Sypher phased in.  
"I can see we have guest." He couldn't smirk. He was still confused.

The ship slowly approached the island with the strange base on it. I mean, you would thing Eggman would make his hideouts more secretive. They were always on islands and the buildings were all ways tall and thing. Shadow let out a sigh. It had no windows this time, and what seemed like one entrance. An entrance guarded by the same group of three that thrashed him around earlier. He hoped they would be somewhere inside, so he might be able to slide past them, yet they were all right in his way, like a dreadful dead end.  
"Be careful, you guys. That team is dangerous." Shadow warned.  
"Don't worry! We'll hold 'em off!" Vector bluffed. He wasn't so sure either. The ship finally reached land. As soon as they got off, Sypher and Angel were waiting.  
"And what brings you here, Shadow? And who did you bring with you?" Sypher questioned.  
"That shouldn't concern you." Shadow wasn't used to the whole 'help' thing. "You guys know what to do." Shadow said, disappearing.  
"Good thing we left Tsukiko up there.." Angel said, sighing.  
"I think she will be quite happy with the reunion." Sypher said, finally feeling like his old self.  
"You should be more worried about yourselves." Espio added curtly.  
"Who said we were worried. I just feel sorry that you guys were dragged into this. Such...unnecessary violence." Sypher chuckled.  
"Right. Let's just see how sorry you are when I get my jaws around that little head of yours." Vector said viciously.  
"Hmm.. i guess I could use a new wallet." Vector fumed. A wallet joke. His ancestor met that fate. It was personal now. He charged, curling his huge fist into a deadly punch. Angel grabbed Sypher and moved him out of the way. She then made her wings appear and soared into the sky.  
"Charmy, can you paralyze her?" Espio questioned hastily.  
"Sure can!" He sang, flying towards her. Angel almost coughed.  
"You have got to be kidding me." She said, annoyed.  
"Don't underestimate me!" Charmy yelled, stinger thrust at her. She easily flew around it, taking the chance to charge her wings up for an attack. They glowed momentarily before she sent burning feathers towards his direction. Charmy barely dodged them, getting his arm singed.  
"Ow! That hurt, you witch!" He yelled. Witch. How insulting. She was much more than powerful than any old witch hag.  
Meanwhile, Espio charged Sypher after Vector's attack. He pulled out a giant shuriken and Sypher pulled out a transparent dagger. They clashed, sparks flying.  
"Hmm...Interesting weapon." Espio said sarcastically, pretending to start conversation.  
"Like it? It won't be see through in a minute. Blood tends to stain these things." He smirked.

Knuckles was tired of hanging on a wall. Even if he couldn't get out of the room, he wanted to be comfortable. He tried to pry himself from the wall, but it was no use. He sensed chaos energy flowing through the shackles.  
"Damn it!" He swore.  
"Quiet for a sec, Knux." Sonic said, closing his eyes to think. He started to swing slightly, going higher each time. Finally, he pushed off the wall and flipped above the shackles. There, he pushed against the wall again, and with he momentum, thrust himself out of the chains. "Got it!"  
"Nice trick. Now get me undone." Knuckles said, mad that he hadn't thought of that. Sonic kicked it off.  
"Now that those shackles are off, I can kick with full power again." He added, smirking.  
"Shut it, Sonic. How do we get out of here?"  
"I don't know. Even if we had a Chaos Emerald, I'd have no idea how far away I am from the surface. We could end up integrated with a pack of dirt.."  
"Damn!"  
"But, that doesn't mean we can't just wait until our ride gets here." Sonic smiled. A sort of wicked smile.

Shadow appeared near the front entrance. The coast was clear. Maybe that wolf went off for a drink. It was at the moment of thought that a foot flew in his direction. He managed to dodge, getting grazed on his muzzle.  
"You think I'd actually let you in here?" Tsuki snorted.  
"No. I expected to pay you back from earlier." Shadow half smiled.  
"Let's find out." Tsuki whispered, disappearing. Shadow wouldn't fall for the same trick. She could let out a noise that would vibrate the air around her, giving her the appearance of a disappearing act. Shadow listened closely and, as soon as he hear a faint high pitched noise, he kicked straight in front of him. He felt the kick contact with something, and Tsuki reappeared, up against the wall she slammed into.  
"So you figured out my trick, huh? Impressive." She stood up, wiping the blood from her mouth.  
"That was just the beginning." He said dramatically.


	5. Ch 5: A Weakening Will

Chapter 5: A Weakening Will

Dust blew in the wind, as two pairs of golden eyes met, ready to take the life of the other. The first individual, giving a cold smirk, wrapped his hands tightly around his translucent knife. The second, his eyes still staring into the other's deadly gaze. Espio pushed his shuriken further towards Sypher's opposing force. They were in a deadlock, and the stronger on would leave without an scratch. Now, Sypher wasn't usually much of a fighter. He knew that. He liked nothing more than to outsmart his openings and cause mental damage to his targets, so Sypher wracked his brain for possible solutions.  
"Why are you interfering in this? This doesn't even concern you." Sypher said calmly.  
"It's our job. And I don't plan on adding a failed mission to my record anytime soon." Espio spat out, pushing harder on Sypher's small dagger. At this rate, Sypher was going to get a deep cut. One that could be his last. He kept thinking hard. Then it came to him. He would use Espio's strength to his advantage. He slowly began to let the shuriken move closer towards him, pretending to seem he had lost. Espio grinned.  
"Weakening, are we?" Sypher felt the weakening in Espio's push as he talked, and took his opportune moment. He pushed with all his might, stabbing Espio with his knife, while the shuriken cut him as well. Blood trickled down the see-through blade. Sypher jumped back, happy with the fact his plan actually worked. Espio clutched his arm, where both weapons had pierced. He was losing blood, and he didn't have ample time to heal it. Sypher moved his blade towards his lips. He licked the blade with the blood of his enemy.  
"Yes...I love the taste of your sorrow." Sypher let out with a satisfactory grin.  
"You haven't won yet.." Espio choked out. Sypher allowed himself a small chuckle.  
"Oh, but it is. Your body is pretty much defenseless." Sypher said with glowing eyes. Espio gazed into them, and he slowly fell out of consciousness.

Vector watched his friend fall, and as soon as he went to attack, Sypher disappeared. Vector was baffled. People didn't just disappear out of then air, except for Espio, and Sypher was no chameleon. He rushed to his fallen friend.  
"Espio, speak to me!" Vector yelled. Suddenly, Espio's eyes flew open, quickly scanning his surroundings. "Espio...are you ok?"  
"Yes...But I don't fully understand how..Where is Sypher?" He said in a calming voice.  
"I dunno. He just...disappeared." Vector said, still alert for a random attack.  
"Strange.." Espio said with exaggerated confusion, which Vector didn't seem to notice. He was happy his friend was alive.  
"Let's help out Charmy!" Vector let out a rebel yell, charging off in Charmy and Angel's direction. As he sped off, Espio gave a wicked grin. Meanwhile, Charmy was currently dodges thousands of scorching feathers.  
"Hey! I'm just a kid! Why am I always in situations like this?!" Charmy cried out.  
"Children need to stay home...Not be on a battlefield." Angel spoke softly, a tinge of sadness in her voice. She had grown up on the battlefield. The mark on her shoulder burned slightly. She sighed and stopped her shower of feathers. "Leave now, and you can get out of this without harm..."  
"That's tempting, but...everyone is counting on me!" Charmy yelled out, charging Angel, stinger out.  
"The...I'm sorry.." Angel said regrettably, her wings glowing blue. Charmy continued his charge, while Angel began to fly towards him as well. Charmy's impact missed due to Angel's perfect dodge, and the blue wing slammed into Charmy.  
"Aqua Wing!" Angel shouted, and water blasted out of the impacting wing, sending Charmy spiraling to the ground.

Sonic sat on the floor, pondering about this whole situation. Why was he captured? Eggman wasn't even going near him, and he was sealed in an isolated room with no way out. Sonic tried not to think about that, as he was Closterphobic. Was this all just to keep him out of the way? Was he to die here? No, otherwise Sypher would not have to checked to see if he was ok. This was all so confusing. And it wasn't helping that Knuckles continued to throw out random questions, hoping somebody would answer them.  
"Grr...Why are we being held here? Why can't I break through? What is going on? Where is Sypher? How am I gonna get us outta here? What is the point in all of this? Why is--" he was cut off by a slap across the face.  
"Shut up, Knuckles!" Sonic said, clearly agitated. Knuckles took a minute to process the fact that he was hit, then began more questioning, by now directly in Sonic's ear.  
"WHY DID YOU DO THAT?! That hurt, asshole! What did I do?! Why would you hit me?!" He was starting to repeat the same questions. Sonic now had a new thought crossing his mind: How much longer before he winded up murdering Knuckles.

Vector felt a sharp pain in his back. He thought his back problem was acting up again. He was thinking about how to fire his chiropractor, when he realized that this pain was different. It was sharp...like a kunai.  
"Espio...What the.." Vector questioned, but in mid-sentence, he figured it out. "Your..not Espio..."  
"Brilliant deduction. You really are quite the detective. This body is the perfect vessel. No one will ever know it's me." Sypher cooned, using a perfect Espio voice.  
"I'll make sure they all find out.."  
"Oh, well that is way your going to sleep for awhile. Night, detective." Sypher pulled the kunai out of his back, and used his eyes through Espio's to knock out Vector. Just then, a falling object crashed near his feat. It was the other member of their team. Charlie, he thought, though obviously incorrect.  
"I see you took care of that fairly well." Sypher said casually, merging from Espio.  
"I feel sorry for him..He reminded me of when we were--" Angel was cut off.  
"Don't talk about that! That was along time ago!" Sypher yelled hastily, feeling the mark on his back burn. "These damn things still won't stop burning.."  
"It is the punishment we received for defying our leader."  
"I know that," Sypher added curtly, "I just want it all to go away."  
"It will, once we form the Hy--" She was cut off again by a loud bang. The sound of a gun. Sypher and Angel exchanged glances. Shadow.

Bullets seemed ineffective. The dammed wolf dodges every shot. At least it bought him some time to form a strategy.  
"You won't touch me with those wimpy things!" Tsuki snorted out, a grin plastered on her muzzle.  
"Wasn't meant to." Shadow smirked, shooting up in the air. At that moment, a boulder came flying down, right where Tsuki was going to dodge a bullet.  
"Humph...Clever." She spoke as the boulder seemly crushed her. Shadow knew it couldn't be that easy. And sure enough, the Tsuki under the rock transformed into a puddle of water.  
"I see...You are an Elemental Channeler. That is how you can dodge so quickly and that time when you seemed to have used Chaos Control. You used the Wind element to carry yourself through the air."  
"Wow. Unraveling two of my techniques in one day. Clever boy." Tsuki didn't seem worried at all. In fact, she was grinning more than before. Shadow took this chance to unload more rounds on her, trying to think of another plan.

It seemed like hours since Sonic was captured. He lie there on the small bed, watching Knuckles continue to pace around the room. Sonic felt unusually calm. He would normally be doing what Knuckles was doing, pacing up and down and going stir crazy. Maybe, on the off chance, he was in no danger. He almost felt like he had faith in his purple captor. As if on cue, Sypher appeared in the room, Espio and Vector in his arms and Charmy on his back. Sonic was shocked. He had to be pretty strong to lift Vector with on arm. Knuckles was more curious as to how they got like that.  
"What did you do to them?!" Knuckles demanded.  
"They attempted a rescue. Can't have that, now can we?" Sypher said blankly.  
"I guess not." Sonic chuckled. Sypher put a look of what seemed like confusion.  
"Aren't you just a little too happy for your current situation?" Sypher asked, a little of what seemed like hope in his voice.  
"Not at all! I have faith it will all be ok!"  
"But...Things like that are just fairy tales. Things don't always happened like we plan.."  
"Ah, but they do to me. Things tend to work out in the end. Besides, you don't seem like such a bad guy." Sonic was smiling with such sincerity. Sypher couldn't help but release his confused look. Why was he so happy? It didn't make any since.  
"But, what happens if things don't work out?" Sypher pressed on.  
"But, they will work out." Sonic said, a little more stiffly.  
"You don't know that. For all you know, this could be your tomb."  
"But, I believe that I will get out of here. And I also think you will help me do it." Sypher smirked uncomfortably.  
"And what makes you think that?"  
"Because I can tell that we are going to wind up being friends at the end of this." That was all Sypher could handle. He thrust Sonic upon a wall.  
"Why do you have so much hope?! How do you keep moving on in the most despairing situations?!" Sypher had not been this worked up in a long time.  
"And why do you have to be so negative about any situation your in?" Sonic questioned back.  
"I'm not in the situation here!" Sypher snapped back.  
"I think you are in a more conflicting situation that I am." Sonic stated calmly. Sypher unpinned Sonic.  
"It doesn't matter. Once I get my hands on the Hyper Emerald, I won't have to worry about this pain anymore." Sypher clutched his shoulder.  
"The...The Hyper Emerald..?" Knuckles finally spoke, his voice shaky.  
"What's that?" Sonic questioned.  
"It is a powerful artifact that will finally help me achieve my revenge...but you don't need to know about that. You won't be involved." Sypher explained.  
"I have a feeling I will." Sonic smirked. Sypher grimaced.  
"DAMN IT! Why do you even care?!"  
"You want the Chaos Emeralds, right? I can help you. I mean, you don't trust Eggman, right?"  
Sypher snorted. "Of course not. Do you even need to ask?"  
Sonic's smirk widened. "How about we arrange a deal?" Sypher was listening. It was a damn good deal.


End file.
